Bosco Recipe

Preheat and prepare

Place a pizza stone or inverted baking sheet on the middle rack of your oven and preheat to 500°F (260°C) for at least 45 minutes. If you have a pizza steel, use that. This ensures a crisp bottom crust.

Lightly flour a work surface with the 1/4 cup flour. Stretch or roll the pizza dough into a roughly 12-inch round (or two smaller pizzas) about 1/4-inch thick, leaving a slightly thicker rim for the crust. Transfer the shaped dough to a piece of parchment paper or a well-floured pizza peel.

Brush the outer 1/2-inch rim lightly with the 1 tablespoon olive oil to promote browning.

Make quick pizza sauce

In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil. Add the minced garlic and sauté 20–30 seconds until fragrant but not browned. Add 1 cup crushed tomatoes, 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and 1/4 teaspoon sugar (if using). Simmer gently 6–8 minutes to slightly thicken and meld flavors. Taste and adjust seasoning. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Spread about 3/4 to 1 cup of the sauce evenly over the stretched dough, leaving the oiled rim exposed. Use the back of a spoon to create a thin, even layer — you want sauce to flavor but not sog the crust.

Prepare mushrooms

Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat with 1 teaspoon olive oil (use a little of the reserved oil if desired). Add the thinly sliced cremini mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Sauté 3–4 minutes until they release moisture and begin to brown. Remove from heat and let cool slightly to avoid adding excess water to the pizza.

Distribute the cheeses: tear or slice the 8 oz fresh mozzarella and scatter pieces evenly over the sauced dough, leaving some gaps for the fontina. Sprinkle the 4 oz grated or thinly sliced fontina evenly on top of and around the mozzarella to create a melty, slightly nutty layer.

Evenly scatter the sautéed cremini mushrooms over the cheese. If using, add the thinly sliced shallot sparingly across the top for a mild onion note.

Finish with a light crack of black pepper and a small pinch of flaky sea salt over the top. Avoid over-salting because cheeses are already salty.

Bake the pizza

Carefully slide the parchment with the pizza onto the preheated stone or baking sheet (or use a peel to transfer). Bake at 500°F (260°C) for 8–12 minutes, rotating once halfway through, until the crust is deeply golden and blistered in spots and the cheeses are melted and slightly browned.

If you prefer extra browning on the top, finish with 1–2 minutes under the oven broiler — watch closely to prevent burning.

Remove pizza from oven. Let rest 2 minutes, then scatter the fresh basil leaves across the top. Slice and serve immediately. Optionally finish slices with an extra drizzle of good olive oil.